Ayo Adebanjo

Lets talk about your closeness to Awolowo, many people said you are very close to him that you prevented desperadoes from getting to him

In what form?

The word is too big in our mouth sir, critics said you were his chief thug!

That’s what critics said, they don’t know me. Such critics can use any language, out of ignorance. Go and read my book. Many of them know me. When I was a lawyer, I became close to Awo, when I was orgnaising secretary in his constituency, when and where does thuggery come in? Or because you know his dos and donts? I was his organising secretary whenever he went to campaign in any constituency. You know what the people want, what were the peculiarities of this locality. So by the time Awo would come, I would just hand my findings over to him. He would speak on those things and the people would be happy. Of course, we kept notes of such promises and Awo fulfilled them.

As a strong disciple of Chief Awolowo, what would have done? Advise the present government…

This government couldn’t have done much as you are seeing, because if the government is a listening government, if you are a stubborn government, it would have still been the same thing. Awo told Shagari that the economy of the country was about to hit the rocks and Akinloye said he was the prophet of doom. All these things we have gone through that is why I just laugh, we have heard it before. When we make projection about reality, they say we are economists of doom…

Did Awolowo have a research unit, how was he able to get all those facts ahead. He reeled out statistics to Shagari then?

Awo had foresight. He had grassroots boys, resource people. He will tell you that a leader must have ability to bring along able people to discuss policy, how do you implement it, implications, go and give me paper. The free education you are talking about was prepared in the past, but it was a collective thing, they agreed, they formed a committee how we are going to implement it, and that became the manifesto of the party. That was what we were trying to introduce to these new governors of AD and they felt we wanted to control them.

Did they actually ask for any support from you?

Even the pieces of advice we were trying to give them, they pushed them aside, you journalists should remember to ask them why they now feel we are wrong.

Let’s talk about your relationship with the late chief Bola Ige. What actually caused your rift?

There is no ill will rather than that I am a stickler to party principles. What started it really was when he went to contest for the Presidency. There was Falae, the moment Ige also said he was going to contest, I said the primary election had to be held. I reminded him that in 1979, the contest was between him and Pa Emmanuel Alayande. Elders of the party felt that since Alayande was Ige’s old school pricipal, he should allow the old man to run. That’s is one of the most things you don’t know about Awolowo. He was a team player. He bowed to general agreements. Ige insisted on primary election and he won. That is how we started primaries, because there was a language they use these days: it is either governorship or nothing but if you are not a governor we can give you another thing. It is only those who are close to the party and who knew the origin that it is either governorship or nothing or we offer you something else, they did the election and Ige won.

So for it to be fair and free elections, we set up a committee, the selection took place in my office – Western house- if they were going to choose members, we said Ige shouldn’t be there, you are one of the candidates. Ige said No, I am the deputy leader I would be here. Are you following the background? Why I mentioned the name of Omole, Ige objected, Iam giving you this to show you how we fared and that’s how he fell out with me because I insisted on certain principles. But it happened, he objected to Omole, that was how Professor Bolaji Akiyemi became a pillar of that body and then another person from Ilesha. What am telling you is that I have told the story when he was still alive. I was so shocked that he did not win the primaries. When OBJ chose him as minister, I was one of those that opposed it. When we were talking about this national conference and the same way we are talking about restructuring, the late Ooni of Ife had cause to say that if this is the position then there is no problem, why don’t you tell the president? I said well, I cant beg the president to come and see me but if he calls us, whether he likes me or not he is the president, so he said, if I ask you to go and meet Baba, I said I will go, he is the president of the country. So Oba Sijuawde arranged a meeting of all and I told Baba Adesanya, lets go and tell the man what he’s supposed to hear.

On that day something happened, the prejudice that Obasanjo had against me he demonstrated it. When we got there, he welcomed Baba Sijuwade, he welcome Baba Adesanya and left me out. I didn’t complain. In the course of the discussion when he said, but the way you treated Bola Ige is not good. When we were going to conduct that primary, we made sure that he was aware. I said Mr President, when you know your cabinet, go and ask him, when he was going abroad, Baba Adesanya told him he should not go, we wanted to conduct the primary. And he told us he had to go for medical reasons.

When I told OBJ that story and Pa Adesanya confirmed it, he became relaxed. When we were going, I said I have an observation to make. I said Mr President when we came here you welcomed Ooni, Adesanya and you were very hostile to me, I know you like women but we have never crossed ourselves! There is no disagreement, you are a womanizer, I am a womanizer, but we have never crossed ourselves, so what could be the cause ? When we left the meeting, I said Ooni, I raised a question and you didn’t even try to pursue it.

You see, when you are sure of your ground, when you are on a clean slate, you look at them boldly on the face. There is nothing to hide about it, that was the position with Bola Ige. So the result now came out, he lost. The idea that he was going abroad was to show, he was so sure he was going to win, unfortunately, unknown to him, majority of the panel members held a grudge one way or the other against him but they are not like Adebanjo who will tell you straight!

I wonder, with all that Bola Ige knew about Obasanjo, what he said about him, I believe he should have known better, but he couldn’t see. By the time Obasanjo was fighting you, he goes all out to finish you. If you read my book it was Obasanjo that caused rifts between the leader (Awo), between the party and Bola Ige. Ige was almost expelled, it was the election of 1983, Afolabi was the deputy to Bola Ige. Afolabi said when Bola was to be elected, he promised to serve only one term. That Obasanjo, I don’t want to have anything to do with him, he is an evil!

Why did you say that?

I have never heard Obasanjo give credit to any past government in this country. He wrote a book deparagin Awolowo. That kind of man will come and invite me and I will come to his cabinet?

Were you proud of Tinubu, the last man standing when Obasanjo hoodwinkwed other Alliance for Democracy governors in the South West into supporting him?

They didn’t know Obasanjo was tricking them. He betrayed them, he assured them he would support them. Tinubu was smarter in many ways.

Your wife has been a pillar of support to you sir

Very much

How did she hold forth when you ware away in Ghana (on exile). I learnt she even wrote you a letter, advising you to have all the fun but not to bring home a baby…

Oh you have read that. I know you

Use the opportunity to comment on the state of the nation

Each time people ask me about this I can’t pretend. We should not be where we are today, no reason for it, but bad leadership, corruption, dishonesty, inconsistency and other vices are the causes.